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Typ Ayn Rand: What Is Ethical Egoism?

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Typ Ayn Rand: What Is Ethical Egoism?
What is the definition of ethical egoism? Ethical egoism is a normative theory that simply means everyone should have their own best interest at heart and not be obligated to help others. Ethical egoism states that people should do what benefits them the most. When an ethical egoist makes a decision, the attitude is that looking out for others is self-defeating. “We ought to do what will promote the interests of everyone alike. The interests of everyone will be promoted if each of us adopts the policy of looking to our own interests exclusively” (Hospers, 1967). Everyone should put his or her self first and foremost, that is the philosophy of ethical egoism. Psychological egoism puts an emphasis on how people should act, while ethical egoism states that ones primarity duyt and responsibility is to self. It says that we have no duty other than to do what is best for ourselves (Banks, 2013). An ethical egoist does nothing for others unless there is something for them to gain for themselves. For example, a person who exhibits ethical egoism will change a tire for a distressed woman, however, he is expecting something in return from her. The ethical egoist puts themselves high on a pedestal and belives himself to be superior and above others and discriminating against others. With this …show more content…
According to Rand, ethical egoism cannot be coherently equated with selfishness because it is often in one’s self-interest to help others or to refrain from harming them. For example, Rand contends that it would be absurd to claim that a husband who spends a fortune to cure his wife of an illness does so entirely on her behalf (Rand, 1964). For an ethical egoist, the motivation to help family members and friends is one’s personal connection to them and the distress that would be caused by their misfortune or

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